đźź Chapter 38 :
We were led by the factory manager to the raw materials section. It held a variety of metals — steel and iron — and minerals I had never heard of in this world, like a metal called neralite. It was a gray metal with a deep bluish tint and a soft metallic sheen, almost like the gloss of wet glass.
This metal weighed roughly a third of iron. When polished it kept an extremely fine edge; it didn't bend or crack easily even under repeated blows. The reason lay in neralite's internal structure: it consisted of a double crystal lattice, its atoms arranged in a hollow hexagonal network similar to carbon's arrangement in graphene, which gave it lightness. Externally, the metal's surface had a straight atomic layer with very strong cohesion so the edge could be sharpened to an ultra-fine level — that's what gave it such keen sharpness. This strange composition resulted from the metal's interaction with thermomagnetic waves deep in the earth, which caused its atoms to settle into an unusual but chemically stable arrangement.
Well — that was a mix of the manager's explanation and the system's analysis after it scanned the metal. The skill system had a natural ability to analyze materials of this world. This would help me a lot in the end — it wasn't just a system that liked to chatter. Haizen liked this metal a great deal, so we decided to buy some of it, along with iron and steel, plus some wood, leather, cotton ropes, silk thread, and nails.
"With this we'll make a fine sword — but don't think it'll replace my black sword."
He was still thinking about that scrap painted black. After we bought all those materials with money from the prince's pocket, we kept searching for other materials to make a suitable weapon for me.
On the way here I'd told Ryo about my skill and our need to use it to craft good weapons before we went to the capital. We later bought some copper and a plastic-like material called Elasticus, and also gunpowder — all for making a pistol. Honestly, when I looked at myself I felt like I was stepping into a war. I hoped things would go well. I had decided to help them, even though it wasn't normally my thing, and I just wished it wouldn't end in regret. After everything that had happened to me so far I'd become a little more willing to take risks — not out of heroism, but because I liked the idea of a reward from the royal palace.
We continued walking around the city looking for more materials. After a while, while we were walking, a man in a black suit blocked our path. He wore a hood that covered his face and suddenly spoke.
"Although I was looking for you, I didn't expect to find you here, Prince Elithius."
Who was this man? Could he be from the gang? Elithius felt some confusion and perhaps fear toward him, and even Ryo looked disturbed. Ryo glanced at Haizen and me.
"That man — he's from the gang that's targeting the prince."
So it was confirmed: the man was from the gang. Well, that was quick. I hadn't expected to meet someone here — just as he hadn't expected to meet us. What a coincidence. Do we think alike? Haizen stepped forward to fight the gang member, drawing his sword from its sheath.
"A gang member, eh? Good — this will be a warm-up."
The gang member laughed at Haizen's words; he clearly didn't know who he was laughing at.
"That's amusing, young swordsman. Listen: neither you nor your companion, nor even that dragon, can defeat me. I'll defeat you all."
Haizen launched a strike at the gang member's head, but the man vanished from his spot. He didn't strike at Haizen-instead, he went straight for the prince. Ryo stepped in, whipping his tail into the attacker's stomach and sending him crashing into a house wall. From the cloud of dust, air-blades shot toward Ryo, slow enough that even someone like me could follow their movement. Ryo dodged them with ease, but he lowered his guard for an instant. The enemy suddenly appeared above him and unleashed a flurry of blades aimed straight for Ryo's eyes.
"Ouch… that hurts."
Ryo kept moving left and right because the blades had injured his eyes. In a split second the opponent's one arm was torn apart. At first I didn't notice who had done it, but it didn't take thinking — that aura coming off the sword, of course — it was Haizen. He had apparently used his Shadow Style. Ryo, still almost blind, received a strike to the neck from the opponent and was knocked to the ground. I hadn't done anything yet with the materials I'd bought. After everything that had happened, I couldn't just stand there and watch.
"System, make a pistol to deal with this guy."
[Okay. Give me a moment.]
"I'm counting on you."
I went to stand beside Elithius at least until the pistol was ready. The gang member was looking at his torn arm and laughing.
"Hahaha... it's been a long time since one of my arms was cut off. But you know, regenerating a severed arm directly is a bit troublesome-it consumes a lot of mana. So instead of regenerating it, I'd rather restore my arm as it was. If you'll allow me..."
The gang member grabbed his severed arm and pressed it to the wound. It began to knit together bit by bit. Haizen didn't give him any time; he launched another rapid attack. I couldn't see it, but apparently the opponent could — indeed, he managed to catch the sword aimed at his neck with only two fingers. Shock filled Haizen's face; he hadn't expected that.
"What? How did you stop my sword like that?"
It didn't end there: with a kick directed toward the sword, the gang member shattered Haizen's blade. Things were getting worse — Haizen had no sword, Ryo was down. After his sword broke, Haizen had no choice but to engage in unarmed combat. He threw a punch at the opponent's face, but the man ducked quickly. Haizen followed up with a knee strike to the opponent's face after the duck, but the man vanished completely and was suddenly behind Haizen with a powerful blow to the back. Haizen collapsed entirely.
[The pistol has been crafted. You can use it now.]
"That's a little late — I'm alone now."
I had to shoot before he noticed me. The pistol appeared in my hand. Except for its bluish-gray color it looked ordinary — light and comfortable, almost like a toy rather than a real weapon. I lined up a shot at the opponent's head. I felt jittery; this was a one-in-a-million chance. I aimed at his head before he noticed, and that single opportunity came true — I hit his head. But—
"Huh? What is this strange thing? It felt like a tickle… oh, it was you who shot that."
He looked toward me. I was the only one left of the three of us, but why didn't he fall? Was he wearing a helmet or something? I couldn't process it until I found his hands around my throat.
"What an annoyance. You're all pathetic, and especially you — you just watch the whole time. People like you shouldn't live."
He was about to thrust his arm toward my gut when—
"Stop!"
Prince Elithius's voice made him halt.
"You came here to take me — here I am in front of you. There's no need to do anything more than that."
"Oh, look at the prince — how kind he is, caring about others. Well, since you insist…"
The gang member loosened his grip from my throat, but before I could understand what happened he kicked me directly in the stomach and sent me flying. It was a blow that could render me unconscious. All I could see were the prince and that man walking away before I lost consciousness. It was a crushing defeat; the first gang member we faced had easily taken Elithius from us.